WO2009109838A1

WO2009109838A1 - Foldaway seat

Info

Publication number: WO2009109838A1
Application number: PCT/IB2009/000420
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jarmo Vaisanen; Seppo Anttila; Juha Eiro; Kari Immonen
Original assignee: Valtra Oy Ab
Priority date: 2008-03-04
Filing date: 2009-03-04
Publication date: 2009-09-11
Also published as: GB0804000D0

Abstract

A foldaway seat (12) comprising a seat mounting pin (20) for transverse fixing at one end to a substantially vertical surface (14) and being pivotally joined to a first end of a support strut (22) allowing the latter to move parallel to the vertical surface from a stowed position to an operating position, and a seat base (16) rotatably mounted to a second end of the support strut (22) around its longitudinal axis allowing the seat base to rotate from a folded position generally parallel to the vertical surface to an unfolded position when the support strut is in the operating position. By providing a dual pivoting action in this way, a user can simply move the seat from a stowed position to an operating position in two simple stages. Releasable locking means (25) are provided to lock the seat base in the unfolded position.

Description

DESCRIPTION

FOLDAWAY SEAT

The invention relates to a foldaway seat which has a stowed position when not in use. In particular, but not exclusively so, the invention relates to a foldaway passenger seat for a utility vehicle such as a tractor.

EP-A-1,813,468 discloses a seat which has a stowed position when not in use.

It is an object of the invention to provide a foldaway seat which is simple to operate so as to change the seat from a stowed position to an operating position and vice versa.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a foldaway seat comprising a seat mounting pin for transverse fixing at one end to a substantially vertical surface and being pivotally joined to a first end of a support strut allowing the latter to move parallel to the vertical surface from a stowed position to an operating position, a seat base rotatably mounted to a second end of the support strut around its longitudinal axis allowing the seat base to rotate from a folded position generally parallel to the vertical surface to an unfolded position when the support strut is in the operating position, and releasable locking means to lock the seat base in the unfolded position.

By providing a dual pivoting action in this way, a user can simply move the seat from a stowed position to an operating position in two simple stages. Furthermore, the seat base can be stowed parallel to the vertical surface to which it is mounted thereby maximising the space saving when stowed. Only simple components are required to implement the invention making such a foldaway seat a cheap option which is easy to manufacture.

In the case of the seat base being mounted to the support strut in an asymmetric manner with respect to the strut's axis, the locking means may support a portion of the weight of the user. The releasable locking means may simply comprise a bolt which is slidably mounted to the seat base, one end of which is engageable in a receiving slot which is fixed relative to the vertical surface. The bolt may be biased into an engaged position by a spring.

Preferably, a sleeve is fixed to the seat base and in which the support strut is located and is able to rotate. This provides a simple and sturdy mechanism to mount the seat base to the support strut allowing rotational movement there between. In an alternative arrangement the support strut is fixably mounted to the seat base and rotational movement is provided by allowing the support strut to rotate around its axis relative to the seat mounting pin.

Preferably, the support strut can be locked in the operating position.

In one preferred embodiment, the seat further comprises a back support which is hinged to the seat base and is moveable into an upright position when the seat base is in the unfolded position. The back support may be lockable in the upright position by releasable locking means which is released by sliding the back support in a sideways direction.

In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the seat base (and thus any user of the seat) faces in a direction generally parallel to the vertical surface when in the unfolded position. Preferably, the seat base is rotatably mounted to the support strut at a central position along a rear edge of the seat base. Advantageously, this minimises any stress caused by torque on the support shaft or any locking means provided to hold the seat base in position. Also, by making the unfolding action symmetrical about the support strut in this manner, the invention lends itself well to a foldaway seat mounted on a vertical surface near a corner wherein the unfolded seat base extends partly around the corner.

An example application which exploits this advantage is a passenger seat in a utility vehicle such as a tractor, hi this case a seat in accordance with the invention is fixed to a sidewall of the utility vehicle cab in a position corresponding to the outside wall of a wheel arch of the vehicle. Advantageously, the invention makes use of the available space between the wheel arch and the driver's seat to stow the passenger seat. This keeps the space forward of the wheel arch free from obstruction otherwise occupied by known foldaway passenger seats.

Other advantages will become apparent from the following description of specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a utility vehicle cab layout which includes a seat in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the seat of Figure 1 shown with the seat base in the unfolded position with the back support raised;

Figure 3 is a side view of the seat of Figure 1 shown with the seat base in the unfolded position with the back support lowered; Figure 4 is a perspective view of the seat of Figure 1 shown with the seat base in the unfolded position with the back support lowered;

Figure 5 is an enlarged view of part of the seat of Figure 1 showing the workings of the releasable locking means;

Figure 6 is an schematic perspective view of the seat base showing the workings of the releasable locking means in exploded form with the back rest removed;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the seat of Figure 1 shown with the seat base in the folded position with the support strut in the operating position;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the seat of Figure 1 shown with the support strut in the stowed position;

Figure 9 is an enlarged view of part of the seat of Figure 1 showing the joint where the support strut attaches to the seat mounting pin; and,

Figure 10 is an exploded view of the support strut locking mechanism.

With reference to Figure 1 a tractor cab interior, referenced generally at 10, comprises a driver's seat 11 and a foldaway passenger seat 12. The driver's seat 11 is mounted to the floor tray 13 of the tractor cab. The passenger seat 12 is fixed to the inside wall of the cab which corresponds to the outside surface of the wheel arch 14, on the remote side of which is located a rear wheel of the tractor. The foldaway passenger seat 12 can be changed from an operating position (Figure Ia) to a stowed position (Figure Ib). When in the operating position the seat 12 faces generally in the same direction as the driver's seat 11.

With reference to Figure 2 the seat 12 comprises a seat base 16 and a back support 18. The back support 18 is hinged to a rear edge of the seat base 16 by hinges 19. The hinges 19 include releasable locking means which lock the back support 18 into an upright position when in use.

Each hinge 19 comprises a spring 19a and a retaining washer 19b on a bolt 19c which is inserted in a hole in an upright post 19d welded to the rear edge of the seat base 16. Respective retaining members 19e are welded to the back rest 18 and to the end of the associated bolt 19c remote the head thereof. The spring 19a biases the retaining member 19e against the upright post 19d. Each retaining member 19e comprises two lugs 19f which engage against the respective upright post 19d, thereby locking the back rest 18 in the upright position.

The lockable hinges 19 are releasable by sliding the back support 18 in a transverse direction with respect to the seat base 16. This disengages the lugs 19f and allows the back support 18 to be folded down from an upright position into a folded position as shown in Figure 3. When the in the folded position the lugs 19f reengage, one either side of the upright post 19d thereby locking the back support 18 in the lowered position.

The seat 12 further comprises a seat mounting pin 20 which, as shown in Figure 1, is mounted perpendicular to the internal side wall 14 of the tractor cab. The seat mounting pin 20 is fixably attached to the internal wall 14 by a bracket 21 which is bolted to the internal wall through holes provided in the bracket 21.

The seat mounting pin 20 is pivotally joined to a first end of a support strut 22 at a joint 23. The joint 23 is formed of a bore 22a (Fig. 10) in the first end of the support strut 22 in which the seat mounting pin 20 can rotate. This allows the support strut 22 to pivot in a direction which is generally parallel to the inside wall of the cab 14.

The joint 23 further comprises engageable locking means which lock the support strut into an operating position as shown in Figure 2 for example. As shown in Figure 10, the engageable locking means comprises a rod 23a inserted into a further bore 22b in the first end of the support strut 22. A knob 23b is threaded onto the a first end of the rod 23a. A locking cylinder 23c is threaded onto the a second end of the rod 23a holding a compression spring 23d in place on the rod 23a. The rod 23a is biased toward the wheel arch 14 by the compression spring 23d and engages in one of two holes (not shown) locking the support strut in the operating position or the stowed position respectively.

The seat base 16 is rotatably mounted to the support strut 22 at a central position along a rear edge of the seat base. A sleeve 24 is welded to the seat base 16 perpendicular to and adjacent the rear edge thereof. The second end of the support strut 22 is inserted into and rotates within the sleeve 24. The rotatable mounting provided by the support strut 22 and sleeve 24 allows the seat base to rotate from an unfolded position (Figure 4) to a folded position (Figure 7) wherein the seat base 16 is generally parallel to the internal wall of the cab 14. With reference to Figures 5 and 6, a bolt 25 is slidably mounted to the seat base 16 by means of a sleeve 26 welded from the front edge to the rear edge of the seat base. A knob 27 is attached to the forward end of the bolt 25 and allows an operator to withdraw the bolt 25 at the rear edge of the seat from a receiving slot 25a in which the bolt 25 can engage. The receiving slot 25a is formed in a rigid plate 25b which is fixed relative to the inside wall 14 of the tractor cab. A compression spring 25c is located within the sleeve 26 and held in place on the bolt 25 by a retaining cylinder 25d threaded thereon. The spring 25c serves to bias the bolt 25 into an engaged position.

The general operation of switching the foldaway seat 12 from a operating position as shown in Figure Ia to a stowed position as shown in Figure Ib will now be described.

Figure 2 shows the foldaway seat in an operating position. The support strut 22 is locked in an operating position by joint 23 and the seat base 16 is locked in an unfolded position by bolt 25 which is engaged within its respective slot 25a. Furthermore the back rest 18 is locked in an upright position by the lockable hinges 19. When in this position the seat 12 carries the weight of the user along the support strut 22 and in particular at the lockable joint 23.

To move the seat to a stowed position firstly the back rest 18 is folded down as explained above on hinges 19 so as to be generally parallel and adjacent to seat base 16 as shown in Figure 3.

Secondly the operator withdraws the bolt 25 from its receiving slot 25a by pulling knob 27 and then turning seat base 16 through 90° into a folded position which is generally parallel to the vertical surface provided by the internal wall 14 of the cab as shown in Figure 4.

Thirdly the lockable joint 23 is released by the operator disengaging the rod 23a by pulling knob 23b in a direction indicated generally by the arrow 28 in Figure 7. This allows the support strut 22 to pivot freely on the seat mounting pin 20 from an operating position as shown in Figure 7 to a stowed position as shown in Figure 8.

With reference to Figure 1 it can be seen that the embodiment described lends itself well to a passenger seat in a utility vehicle which is mounted to the outside surface of a wheel arch 14. When in the stowed position, the seat is conveniently located in the space between the wheel arch 14 and the drivers seat 11. Advantageously, this keeps the stowed seat 12 away from the drivers normal operating space. The double pivoting action provided by the respective joints at each end of the support shaft 22 allow the seat base to extend in front of the wheel arch 14 at the forward edge 29. This maximises the available space within the cab and keeps the passenger seat at a sufficient distance from the driver when in the operating position whilst also allowing the seat to be stowed in what is normally unused space.

Although the schematic diagrams show the fundamental components of the seat 12 it will be appreciated that the rigid seat components will be covered with a deformable soft material such as foam and fabric for the comfort of the user, as indicated by the dotted line referenced at 30 in Figure 4 for example.

Although the embodiment described above includes a sleeve 24 which is rotatably mounted to the support strut at a central position along a rear edge of the seat base, it is envisaged that the sleeve may instead be attached to the seat base away from the central axis thereof. This delivers an asymmetric arrangement between the support strut and the seat base which can be exploited, for example, to allow the seat base to extend further round a corner. A disadvantage of this is that the asymmetry creates a twisting force on the support strut. Furthermore a portion of the user's weight would be carried by the locking bolt 25.

In another embodiment of the invention (not shown) the support strut is rotatably mounted to the seat base so that the support strut extends in a direction transverse to the seat base. This rotatably attachment may again be by means of a sleeve which is welded to the seat base, but in a direction transverse thereto. In this embodiment a user would sit on the foldaway seat with their back to the vertical surface to which the seat is attached. However the double pivoting action still provides an effective route to stowing the seat in a convenient location.

The weight of a user in this example would again create a twisting force on the support strut. Therefore, additional support means may be required such as a triangulation strut under the seat base for example.

In summary, there is provided a foldaway seat comprising a seat mounting pin for transverse fixing at one end to a substantially vertical surface and being pivotally joined to a first end of a support strut allowing the latter to move parallel to the vertical surface from a stowed position to an operating position. A seat base is rotatably mounted to a second end of the support strut around its longitudinal axis thereby allowing the seat base to rotate from a folded position (generally parallel to the vertical surface) to an unfolded position when the support strut is in the operating position. Releasable locking means are provided to lock the seat base in the unfolded position. By providing a dual pivoting action in this way, a user can simply move the seat from a stowed position to an operating position in two simple stages.

Claims

1. A foldaway seat comprising a seat mounting pin for transverse fixing at one end to a substantially vertical surface and being pivotally joined to a first end of a support strut allowing the latter to move parallel to the vertical surface from a stowed position to an operating position, a seat base rotatably mounted to a second end of the support strut around its longitudinal axis allowing the seat base to rotate from a folded position generally parallel to the vertical surface to an unfolded position when the support strut is in the operating position, and releasable locking means to lock the seat base in the unfolded position.

2. A seat according to Claim 1, wherein a sleeve is fixed to the seat base and in which the support strut is located and is able to rotate.

3. A seat according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the releasable locking means comprises a bolt which is slidably mounted to the seat base, one end of which is engageable in a receiving slot which is fixed relative to the vertical surface.

4. A seat according to Claim 3, wherein the bolt is biased into an engaged position by a spring.

5. A seat according to any preceding claim, further comprising a back support which is hinged to the seat base and is moveable into an upright position when the seat base is in the unfolded position.

6. A seat according to Claim 5, wherein the back support can be locked into the upright position by releasable locking means which is released by sliding the back support in a sideways direction.

7. A seat according to any preceding claim, wherein the seat base faces generally parallel to the vertical surface when in the unfolded position.

8. A seat according to Claim 7, wherein the seat base is rotatably mounted to the support strut at a central position along a rear edge of the seat base.

9. A foldaway passenger seat for a utility vehicle according to Claim 7 or 8.

10. A foldaway passenger seat according to Claim 9 being fixed to a sidewall of a utility vehicle cab in a position corresponding to the outside wall of a wheel arch of the vehicle.

11. A seat constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in the accompanying Figures.